Episode #4 of "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to Russian war crimes in Ukraine and beyond, the culture of violence within the Russian military, and the attempts to keep Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine.
Key developments on April 18: * Zelensky visits front-line Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast * Putin reportedly visits Russian-occupied Luhansk, Kherson oblasts * Macron wants China to help bring Ukraine, Russia to negotiating table, Bloomberg reports * Former Wagner Group mercenary admitted killing POWs, says "he knows more" atrocities committed President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the
Editor's note: This story contains graphic images that some readers may find uncomfortable. Key developments on April 14: * UK Defense Ministry: Russia 're-energized' assault on Bakhmut as the Kremlin and Wagner improve cooperation * Ukrainian army rejects Russia's claim of being surrounded in Bakhmut, says fierce fighting continues on the streets
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence. At least several Ukrainian servicemen have been beheaded by Russian troops, as alleged by two videos shared online this week. The revelation comes as yet another instance of exceptional brutality demonstrated – and filmed – by Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. One video posted
It was another one of those losses. A young, bright Ukrainian who had a long life to live. Somebody who many perceived as “immortal” because the country’s future was hard to imagine without their dedication and patriotism. Somebody for whom thousands, both friends and strangers, would gather in central
SNIHURIVKA, Mykolaiv Oblast — Early on Feb. 24, as Russian missiles started falling on Ukraine, a few human rights activists started a WhatsApp chat – right as they were sitting in bomb shelters. The next day, the chat transformed into a human rights coalition aimed at protecting those affected by Russian aggression
NOVYI BURLUK, Kharkiv Oblast – The darkness setting over the muddy street of the small hamlet in Kharkiv Oblast did little to hide the destruction Russian soldiers left behind. Novyi Burluk, located 85 kilometers south of the Russian border, was occupied on the first day of the full-scale invasion. The occupation
A Russian missile killed 46 people after smashing straight into an apartment building in the city of Dnipro on Jan. 14. It was one of the deadliest single Russian attacks on Ukraine and the deadliest one for Dnipro, a central Ukrainian city with a pre-war population of nearly 1 million.
When Russian forces opened fire on the peaceful village of Oskil, Kharkiv Oblast, on March 27, Svitlana Voshchana realized her friend’s home was under attack. When the attack stopped, she rushed to their home, hoping the family had managed to hide. Stepping into their yard, she saw the house
Key developments on Dec. 13: * Allies pledge over €1 billion winter aid for Ukraine after Zelensky’s plea * Ukraine repels Russian attacks near 16 settlements in the east * Belarus conducts sudden inspection of troops’ combat readiness * Russia rules out withdrawal from Ukraine by end of 2022 The U.S. President
Key developments on Dec. 12: * Ukraine’s embassy in Greece receives ‘bloody package’ in latest act of intimidation * Russian attack on Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast kills 2, injures 10 * Ukraine needs $1 billion to restore energy sector, says PM. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that Russia is
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions that some readers may find graphic. Standing in line in liberated Kherson for a box of pasta and canned goods with a handsome black dog on a lead, Valerii Hnedov doesn't look like someone who only three weeks prior was languishing in a
On a warm day in early September, Anastasiia Kolchyna took her nine-year-old sons, twin brothers Ruslan and Denys, for a walk. They went to a small park in their native Zelenodolsk, a town in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where many locals would gather on the weekends. The family was enjoying the outdoors
From the indiscriminate killings of civilians in Bucha, Izium and Mariupol, to the everyday terror of long-range missile strikes, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world in its devastation and brutality. Behind the tragic headlines, Ukrainian state institutions are faced with the mammoth task of documenting and
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 10 p.m. to include the recent number of casualties. Russia unleashed another mass missile barrage on Ukraine on Dec. 5 targeting energy infrastructure across the country. Out of the 70 missiles launched by Russia, 60 have been intercepted, the Ukrainian Air Force
Key developments on Dec. 2: * Ukraine's military repels Russian advances near 14 settlements in eastern Donetsk, Luhansk regions. * Russia has lost over 90,000 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, General Staff says. * EU makes final decision to cap Russian seaborne oil prices at $60 a barrel.Ukraine's Embassy in
More than 8,400 civilians, including 440 children, were killed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
Days before giving birth to her first child, Ukrainian military medic Mariana Mamonova was made to board a plane in the Russian city of Taganrog. She was blindfolded, and her hands were bound with rope. “Do you know where they’re taking us?” she heard a man sitting next to
Key developments on Nov. 24: * Largest steel company suspends operation in Ukraine due to power outages. * Ukrainian nuclear power plants begin resuming operations after Russia's Nov. 23 strikes. * Russia attacks liberated Kherson Oblast almost every hour, says Zelensky. * Ukraine brings back 50 prisoners of war from Russian captivity. Power supply
VYSHHOROD, Kyiv Oblast – A rocket blast that struck a four-story residential building in Vyshhorod on Nov. 23 was so powerful that it ripped off balconies, leaving the windowless rooms open to the cold November weather. The massive crater in front of the building left no doubt about the intensity of
Key developments on Nov. 23: * Interior Ministry reports Russia's bombardment of Ukraine kills ten on Nov. 23. * Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure cause power outages in neighboring Moldova. * Ukraine returns 36 POWs, including Azovstal defenders, from Russian captivity. Russia launched yet another large-scale missile attack all over Ukraine on Nov.
Key developments on Nov. 21: * Russia has lost over 8,000 units of military equipment since Feb. 24. * Polish prosecutors won’t allow Ukraine to join the investigation of the Przewodow blast, Polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita reports. * Russian forces strike civilian infrastructure in liberated Kherson on Nov. 21, one person
Key developments on Nov. 18: * Ukraine repels Russian advances near 9 settlements in east * Zelensky discusses grain deal with Erdogan after the Turkish president spoke with Putin * Nord Stream explosions came as a result of ‘gross sabotage,’ Swedish Security Service says * Nearly 30% of Ukrainian territory is mined, according to
Key developments on Nov. 17: * ‘Horrific’ scale of torture in recently liberated Kherson, says ombudsman * Ukraine grain deal extended for another 4 months * Russia’s attack on Dnipro, injures 23 people * Biden disputes Zelensky’s comments that missiles hitting Poland weren’t Ukrainian. The Hague District Court qualified the Russian
Key developments on Nov. 14: * Ukraine repels Russian attacks near seven settlements over past day * Putin signs a decree allowing foreigners to serve in Russian army * Russia likely to intensify its offensive in Donetsk Oblast, the Institute for Study of War believes Three days after the liberation of the southern
Like many other villages in northern Ukraine, Lukashivka was among the first to take the brunt of Russia's full-scale invasion. For almost the entire month of March, its residents lived under shelling and occupation as the Russian army was destroying their homes and killing their neighbors.
Key developments on Nov. 7: * Ukraine repels attacks near eight settlements over past day. * Over 4.5 million people have no access to electricity due to Russian attacks, Zelensky says * Satellite images show over 1,500 new graves near occupied Mariupol, BBC reports. Ukraine has received long-anticipated Western air defense
Key developments on Nov. 4: * Russia’s attacks kill 8, injure 14 in Donetsk Oblast. * Almost 500,000 households in Kyiv left without electricity. * Number of unemployed in Ukraine to reach 2.6 million by 2023, says Economy Ministry. * Russia drafts 318,000 men for its war against Ukraine, according
As Russia is escalating its war against Ukraine and using massive missile and drone strikes to destroy infrastructure, Kremlin propaganda is becoming even more bloodthirsty. The earlier disappointment of propagandists with repeated Russian defeats on the battlefield has been replaced with a feeling of schadenfreude. They are gloating over the
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called recent Russian drone strikes a "sign of increased desperation by Russia." Blinken promised to continue adjusting U.S. aid to fit the Ukrainian needs at a press conference at Stanford University in California on Oct. 17. "You're seeing these drone attacks. What
KYIV — For the second Monday in a row, central Kyiv awoke to the sound of explosions caused by a Russian attack. Five blasts interspersed with Ukrainian defenders’ frantic small arms fire echoed through this downtown district early in the morning on Oct. 17. A week ago, Russia struck the same
KYIV — The morning of Oct. 10 in Kyiv was like no other since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Starting just after 8 a.m., explosions were heard throughout Ukraine’s capital, and it was soon apparent that not all incoming missiles were being shot down
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